Craig Stott

Craig Matthew Stott (born 14 April 1990) is an Australian actor, perhaps best known for his role as Josh Watkins in the ABC television drama East of Everything (2008–09), and as the co-lead character John Caleo in Neil Armfield's Holding the Man (2015).

Craig Matthew Stott
Born (1990-04-14) 14 April 1990
Craigieburn, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
OccupationActor
Years active2006–present
Websitecraigstott.com

Personal life and career

Stott was born in Craigieburn, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, in 1990.[1][2][3] A student of the University of Melbourne, Stott studied Middle Eastern Politics and Immigration Studies, and wrote articles on Middle Eastern affairs.[4][5][6] Since 2016, he has been based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.[6]

Stott commenced training as an actor at Screen Actors Australia in 2001, at the age of 11. In 2010, he won a scholarship to the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, A New York City–based acting school founded by American actress and writer, Stella Adler.[3] He was named the runner–up to Bella Heathcote for the Heath Ledger Scholarship Award, in 2010.[7]

He was cast in the 2006 Australian adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, in the role of Fleance. The film, directed by Geoffrey Wright, starred Sam Worthington as Macbeth. For his work in Macbeth, Stott was nominated for the Best Newcomer Award in 2006 by the Australian Film Institute.[8] Also in 2006, Stott appeared in an Australian short film, Teenage Lust.[9] In 2008, Stott appeared in the fourth episode of the eighth season of drama series McLeod's Daughters as Jamie Mitchell, a teenager who has run away from home. Throughout this period in Stott's career, he starred in multiple episodes of the SBS comedy drama Kick in 2007, a guest appearance in the second series of crime drama City Homicide in 2008 and a role in the short film, Leap Year.

His next project was East of Everything, where he landed the regular role of Josh Watkins, a character he portrayed from 2008 to 2009 in the series' two seasons.[10] On his character, Stott drew parallels between himself and Watkins, noting, "He wants to be independent, and that's me all over. At the moment I'm looking to move out. Not because of family problems but because I want my own freedom and that's what Josh is about."[1] His acting was praised by The Age, which heralded Stott's performance as "strong".[11] In 2009, he starred in the Australian film, The Vapour Boys.

Since 2011, Stott has had roles in multiple films, including These Empty Streets (2011), independent comedy horror film Ghost Team One (2013), short films James & Quinn (2013), Grace (2015) and Haven (2015).

Holding the Man

Ryan and I, for all intents and purposes, were a couple before and during the shoot...We'd go to the bank as a couple, hanging off each other. We’d hold hands in the street. Ryan invited me to a family dinner and everyone assumed his date was going to be a girlfriend but we walked into this swank restaurant holding hands...On set Ryan was my go to. I was always looking for him – very much like John would have done with Tim. I needed him like a lover. I actually fell in love with him.

– Stott on his on-and-off-set romance with co-star Ryan Corr.[4]

While Stott was in Los Angeles in November 2013, he received a brief for a "Gay love story, [set in] Melbourne, 1976" – a role within a film the actor believed "seldom comes along...in Australia’s deeply machismo-oriented society".[4] The film would end up being a film adaption of the 1995 memoir Holding the Man by Australian writer, actor, and activist Timothy Conigrave on his life, and centrally of his relationship with his lover of fifteen years, John Caleo. Following auditions and chemistry tests in London, Stott and fellow Australian actor Ryan Corr were selected as the co-leads of Holding the Man, John Caleo and Timothy Conigrave, respectively.[4] Actors Anthony LaPaglia, Guy Pearce and Geoffrey Rush were chosen for supporting roles within the film.

Production on the film was temporarily suspended in 2014 to allow Stott to lose "up to 12 kilograms" for scenes later in the film which show Caleo with AIDS.[12] On portraying Caleo, Stott noted that, "He wasn’t a very complex person with striking, over-arching ambitions. He wasn’t a boisterous or flamboyant character in the way that Tim was. To try and create a character that was really understated, that is who John was...I was always pulling it back. John really comes through in the subtleties, he’s bubbling under the surface constantly."[13]

The chemistry between Stott and Corr received praise among film reviewers and critics, with the two sharing in multiple sex and other intimate scenes throughout the film.[14] Although Corr is straight, Stott had already come out as queer. Both actors "embraced" each other's sexuality for the film, and they shared their first intimate sex scene together during the auditions.[4] Their on-set relationship also extended outside of Holding the Man, with the two going-out together as a couple and holding hands in public, so as to immerse themselves in the relationship of Conigrave and Caleo.[15] The Guardian Australia praised Stott and Corr for their "memorable performances, both tender and strong, and it is their chemistry audiences will recall most vividly"[16] and The Conversation commended both actors, noting their "palpable" chemistry "which is imperative in order to convey the deep bond [Conigrave and Caleo] had."[17]

Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes
2006 Teenage Lust Teenage Tom Short film
2006 Macbeth Fleance
2008 Leap Year Peter Short film
2009 The Vapour Boys Josh
2011 These Empty Streets Pauly Short film
2013 Ghost Team One Elder Ammon
2013 James & Quinn Hallway Victim Short film
2015 Grace Green Jacket Short film
2015 Holding the Man John Caleo
2015 Haven Shower Short film
2018 Nigerian Prince Wallace
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2007 Kick Kris Recurring; 2 episodes
2008 McLeod's Daughters Jamie Mitchell Guest; Season 8, episode 4: "Nowhere to Hide"
2008 City Homicide Hayden Fosdyke Guest; episode: "Somersaulting Dogs"
2008–09 East of Everything Josh Watkins Regular; 13 episodes

References
  1. Hunter, Brooke (10 May 2008). "Interview with Craig Stott on East of Everything". girl.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  2. Dow, Steve (2 September 2015). "Not just a love story". The Monthly. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  3. "Craig talks about his life in Los Angeles and studying at Stella Adler.". Screen Actors Australia. (27 January 2011). Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  4. "Interview With Holding The Man Star Craig Stott". DNA Magazine. 27 August 2015. Archived from the original on 22 November 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  5. Booth, Katie (23 September 2015). "Craig Stott: On love, politics & his new film 'Holding the Man'". Loner Magazine. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  6. Craig Stott. craigstott.com. Retrieved 22 November 2016
  7. Craig Stott > Further Awards Archived 23 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Hamilton Hodell Talent Management. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  8. Craig Stott > Film Archived 23 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Hamilton Hodell Talent Management. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  9. Teenage Lust (2006). Screen Australia. Retrieved 6 February 2016
  10. Knox, David (13 August 2008). "East of Everything shooting second series". TV Tonight. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  11. Vincent, Peter (6 April 2008). "East of Everything". The Age. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  12. Maddox, Gary (10 October 2014). "Hit play Holding The Man becomes a film". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  13. Hill, Leigh (15 August 2015). "Craig Stott on the humanity of Holding The Man". Out In Perth. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  14. Ellmoos, Brad (24 August 2015). "FILM REVIEW: Holding The Man". Star Observer. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  15. Roach, Vicky (3 September 2015). "Holding the Man star Ryan Corr reveals why sex scenes — gay or straight — are anything but sexy". News.com.au. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  16. Buckmaster, Luke (15 June 2015). "Holding the Man review – memorable performances but a little wobbly". The Guardian Australia. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  17. Richards, Stuart (10 August 2015). "Holding the Man, and bringing HIV/AIDS in Australia to a mainstream audience". The Conversation. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
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